Day 62: Monday 19 May - A Walk From Worth Maltravers, by Ken

During the night my sleep was disturbed by a noise that sounded as though there was an animal on Mabel’s roof, it continued for much of the night. At first light I popped my head out of the skylight over our bed to investigate. There was nothing on the roof, yet I could still hear the noise.  The source was obvious once I stepped outside Mabel – a light breeze was causing the awning to oscillate slightly and give off a pattering sound. I decided to attach the guy ropes purchased last weekend to the ends of the awning and that stopped the noise.

It was yet another fine day in Dorset. After breakfast Sue and Richard picked us up and drove us to the village of Worth Maltravers situated a few miles north west of Swanage. Having parked we set off on a 2 hour walk that saw us initially descending through farmland and then down a steep rocky path to a secluded cove that Sue and Richard visit at times when the beach at Studland gets  busy. Rock benches at the base of the cliffs made an ideal place for them to spend a day in the peace and quiet away from the crowds.

The Start Of Our walk

Steep Descent To Cove

Looking Back From The Cove

Sue And Jane Taking A Break

After a rest stop in the cove we retraced our steps up the rocky path before turning west and following a cliff top path on the cliffs high above the English Channel. We took another break at a disused Portland Stone quarry. The quarry was situated on the edge of the cliffs and Richard told us the stone from the quarry was lowered onto ships that transported It to London. The quarry had workings extending in from the quarry face that looked as though they went back a few tens of metres. Pillars had been left in the workings to support the roof which looked none too safe as the rock above was heavily jointed. That didn’t bother some walkers who happily wandered into the workings and disappeared from view.

Ammonite By The Side Of The Path

Our Walk Followed The Cliff Edge For A While

Quarry Workings - Would You Go In There?

From the quarry we headed inland on a track that worked its way back to Worth Maltravers. It was lunchtime when we arrived there. Richard’s suggestion of a pasty and a pint (diet Coke for Sue and Jane) at the Square and Compass pub was just the ticket. The pub was very old with the bar being at the end of, and the width of, the narrow entrance hall which was congested by customers placing their orders for lunch. There were also a couple of small rooms for eating and drinking, but being a fine, warm, day everyone was taking their lunch outside, as we did. Unusually, the pub had a room set aside as a small museum started by the current landlord’s father. It was mainly comprised of a collection of fossils - ammonites and the like plus other artefacts including clay pipes, animal skulls, etc. The coast of Dorset from Old Harry Rocks westwards into Devon as far as Exmouth is known as The Jurassic Coast and has been designated a World Heritage Site because of its landforms. It features (for Ella) Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous cliffs covering 180 million years of geological history and is rich in fossils.

Worth Maltravers

Pasty For Lunch

Pub Museum

After lunch we drove to the village of Kingston to visit St James’ Church. It is a relatively recent building constructed in the 1870s in what is known as the Gothic Revival Style. Its tall central tower became a landmark and the church is now known as ‘The Cathedral of the Purbecks’.   Ringers come from all over to ring of the bells as the church is famous for the bells' beautiful sound. It is also noted for the stone used in its construction and the quality of workmanship. It was built using Portland Stone and Purbeck marble, the same materials used in the construction of Westminster Abbey. Considering the masons had nothing but hand tools to work with, the craftsmanship is amazing.

St James' Church, Kingston

Purbeck Marble And Portland Stone Column

It was time to say goodbye to Sue and Richard, they had to get back to London as Richard had work to do tomorrow – he is doing some consultancy work for the firm he was with pre-retirement. It had been a very enjoyable three days taking in a part of the country Sue and Richard know so well and clearly get a lot of pleasure from. As Sue said, next time she emails me saying she has walked to Studland, I will be able to conjure up a mental picture of her route.

Later in the afternoon we took Smarty into Swanage to visit the medical centre there. Jane was short of some of the anti-inflamatories she needs for back issues. The medical centre would not make an appointment for a patient not registered with them, it was a case of turn up at 15:00 and wait to see a doctor. Jane got to see Dr Anne at about 16:30, she was very likeable and gave Jane a script to last the rest of our trip saying Jane was lucky she wasn’t seeing her colleague who held the drugs budget as he would not have been so charitable!

Back at Mabel we ate dinner of left over potato and chorizo bake.